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Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

ilnnrnlur cowmsm PLANOGRAPH .10., WASHINGTON. 0. c4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. WILSON, 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO EDWARD MOORE, 0F KENTON, OHIO.

SHOE-LACE PROTECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

Application filed September 15, 1910. Serial No. 582,116.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. W'ILsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of WVayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Lace Protectors; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a shoe lace protector, and consists in the formation and association of parts hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out particularly in the claim.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and eflicient means readily attachable to and detachable from a shoe, whereby the shoe lace may be protected during the operation of shining orpolishing, obviating the liability of the lace becoming soiled by the inadvertent application of blacking or polishing paste thereto.

The above object is attained by the employment of the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of my invention to a shoe. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the lace protecting plate, the strap which secures it in place upon the shoe, being broken away. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section as on line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a transverse section as on line t 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View in elevation of a portion of a shoe with the protecting plate mounted thereon, said plate appearing in longitudinal section.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 represents a guard or plate, preferably formed of metal, which is oblong in form and concave-convex in cross sect-ion. At the lower end of the plate 1 is an integral tongue 2 which is bent inwardly and upwardly in the form of a hook adapted to engage under the lower loop 3 of a shoe lace, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. To the upper end of the guard or plate 1 is attached near one corner thereof and in any suitable manner, a strap 41 of such length as to pass around the ankle, the free end of said strap being provided with a plurality of eyelets 5. These eyelets are adapted to be entered by a hook member 6 on said plate which engages therein when the strap is drawn around the ankle to securely retain the guard or plate 1 in place.

It will be understood that when applying the guard, the tongue 2 is engaged under the lower loop 3 of the lace and the strap passed around the ankle and its free end secured by engagement with the hook 6. The tongue prevents the plate sliding upwardly while the strap secures the upper end of the plate against lateral displacement, the tension of the strap preventing the plate from sliding down sufiiciently to allow of a disengagement of the tongue 2 from the lace. When in position on a shoe, as shown in Fig. 1, the shoe lace is covered and entirely protected, preventing the lace becoming daubed with blacking or shoe paste during the operation of polishing or shining, and also preventing the polishing cloth being drawn across the lace in completing the shining or polishing operation.

The device may be quickly attached and readily removed, and is of such a nature as to enable it to be manufactured and sold at a small cost.

Because of the concavo-convex form of the guard or plate in cross section, it is caused to coincide with the shape of the shoe over the instep and to lie closely at its margins thereto so that its presence on a shoe does not interfere with a drawing of the polishing cloth across the shoe in the operation of shining or polishing.

Having thus fully set forth my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A shoe lace protector, comprising a rigid guard plate oblong in form and concavoconvex in cross section provided with an integral hooked tongue, projecting from the bottom edge thereof and extending up- Warclly parallel "With the inner face of said plate, adapted to engage the lower strand of the shoe lace, a strap attached at one end to an upper corner of said plate, and means for acljustahly attaching to the opposite corner of said plate the other end of said strap.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specificatlon 1n the presence of tWo wltnesses.

JAMES E. -WILSON.

Witnesses:

C. S. WHEELER, 1. G. HOWLETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, D. G. 

